Driving Forces for Thermodynamics and Transport Phenomena

These flashcards cover key terminology and concepts in the study of thermodynamics and transport phenomena, focusing on driving forces and diffusion relevant to chemical and process engineering.

Driving Forces

Imbalances or gradients that cause a system to change from one state to another.

Concentration Gradient

A difference in concentration of a substance across a space, which drives mass transfer.

Fick’s Laws of Diffusion

Set of laws describing diffusion processes based on concentration gradients.

Thermal Conductivity (k)

A measure of a material's ability to conduct heat, defined in Fourier's Law.

Diffusion Coefficient (D)

Quantifies the ease of particle movement through a medium, affected by temperature, viscosity, and particle size.

Mass Transfer Coefficient (k)

Describes the rate at which mass is transferred across a boundary, influenced by system properties.

Gibbs Free Energy (ΔG)

Thermodynamic potential that measures the maximum reversible work obtainable from a thermodynamic system at constant temperature and pressure.

Flux (J)

Rate of flow of a property per unit area; in diffusion, it refers to the amount of particles or mass moving through an area.

Brownian Motion

Random motion of particles suspended in a fluid, resulting from collisions with fast-moving molecules in the fluid.

Stefan Diffusion

Diffusion process involving a solute moving into a stationary interface, such as a gas dissolving in a liquid.

Equimolecular Counterdiffusion

A diffusion scenario where two species diffuse in opposite directions at equal rates.

Fourier's Law

Describes the conductive heat transfer through a material and is proportional to the temperature gradient.